Abraham Lincoln referred to history as the “mystic chords of memory�. Those mystic chords of collective memory bind us together. Our common history connects us to each other in the present and to our ancestors in the past. It is a privilege to encounter those among us who instinctively recognize the importance of understanding and sharing their connections with the past in order to gain a fuller appreciation of who we are in the present. (Essay written by Frank Hebblethwaite � Park Ranger, Hopewell Furnace NHS)
Hear the "Mystic Chords of Memory."
Until the final draft, Lincoln's first inaugural address had ended with a question for the South: "Shall it be peace or sword?" In the famous concluding paragraph, Lincoln, following the suggestion of Sec. of State Seward, moderated his tone dramatically and ended on a memorable note of conciliation:
I am loth to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stre[t]ching from every battle-field, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
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